Everything is set for a fantastic series between India and Pakistan. We have been waiting for this series for a year and wondering how it will unfold. If history is considered, this will go to the wire. Both teams have many similarities that point to an even series.

Both teams are undergoing a revamp, following a dismal World Cup (in the ODI series) where both exited very early in the tournament. But they made a comeback by making the finals in the Twenty20 World tournament. The coaches were replaced, Pakistan's in tragic circumstances, whereas the Indian coach has been a temporary one for some time. Geoff Lawson has taken over the reins with Pakistan whereas India seem to have settled temporarily on Lalchand Rajput.

There are two senior players in each of  the teams who are the stabilising factors for their batting line-up - Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan for Pakistan, Sachin Tendulkar  and Sourav Ganguly for India. They are surrounded by an array of stroke-makers like Salman Butt, Yasir Hameed, Imran Nazir, Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir. The mercurial Shahid Afridi and Virender Sehwag can turn a match upside down on their day - though one can never be sure which day that will be! Salman Butt and Younis Khan must be waiting for the opportunity to play against the Indians since they have made merry in earlier series.

'The entire cricketing world will be watching this series, which might overtake the Ashes series as the most famous, very soon'

Inzamam-ul-Haq and Rahul Dravid will be missed by both teams, especially when the going gets tough. The stabilising factor that they used to provide will need to be taken by the other seniors in the team. While Inzie is not coming back, Rahul might return to the team later in the series.

The captains seem to be cool customers - especially in the recent series that they played. By the end of this series, both of them will have learned quite a bit of the art of captaincy. They have the benefit of having just completed a series against the two best teams in the world, India against Australia and Pakistan against South Africa.

The bowling of Pakistan seems to be stronger on paper - with the likes of Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir leading the attack. Their middle-overs bowling might be a cause of concern for Malik as the Indian team can play spinners very well. The Indian bowlers might be juniors on experience, but their recent exploits (South Africa, England, Ireland) must give them hope to build their skills further. A good 10-day rest must have recharged their batteries to get ready for this series. They will hope that their form has not disappeared.